UN meeting agrees on decisions to advance the implementation of the International Agreement on the safe use of living modified organisms

Pacific delegates attending the Cartegena Protocol on Biosafety to the CBD,
L - R Kiribati, Palau, Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Fiji.

CBD Press Release

Pyeongchang/Montreal 3 October 2014. Governments attending a United Nations meeting on the safe use of living modified organisms have agreed on various actions to advance the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity as a global tool contributing to the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms (LMO) that may have negative effects on biodiversity.

Among the most significant outcomes was a decision inviting governments and other stakeholders to use the Guidance on Risk Assessment of Living Modified Organisms developed by an expert group that was established by governing body of the Protocol in actual cases of risk assessment and as a tool for capacity-building activities in risk assessment. A mechanism for revising and improving the Guidance was also agreed with a view to having an improved version of the Guidance by the eight meeting of the Parties in 2016.

The Parties also agreed to continue to identify living modified organisms intended for direct use as food or feed, or for processing that are subject to transboundary movement, by incorporating the information identified in decision BS-III/10 into existing documentation  accompanying living modified organisms.

Socioeconomic considerations were discussed extensively and a decision to re-convene a group of experts to further develop clarity on this issue and to develop an outline for guidance on this subject was adopted.

In a decision on improving the efficiency of structures and processes under the Convention and its Protocols, Parties agreed to hold subsequent meetings of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol concurrently with the other meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its Protocols, and also agreed that any Subsidiary body on Implementation established by the Convention should also serve the Protocol.

Parties also called upon countries that had not yet done so to ratify the Nagoya Kuala-Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress, and called upon the Executive Secretary to produce materials that would expedite its entry into force.

Pacific delegates attending the Cartegena Protocol to the CBD, L - R Mr. Joe Horokou (Solomons),
Mr. Puta Tofinga (Kiribati),  Ms. 'Eleni Tokaduadua (Fiji), Ms. Lupe Matoto (Tonga), Mr. Rahul Chand (Fiji)
and Mr. Fred Sengebau (Palau) 

Other decisions were reached on, inter alia, the Biosafety Clearinghouse, compliance, the financial mechanism and resources, monitoring and reporting, contained use of Living Modified Organisms and assessment and review of the effectiveness of the Protocol and the Protocol budget for the 2015 – 2016 biennium.

The meeting was closed by Mr. Lee In Ho, of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of the Government of the Republic of Korea, and Acting President of COPMOP7. 

He said: “All efforts made by the delegates over the past 5 days will pave the way for the effective implementation of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, and the Korean government will spare no effort for the development of the Protocol as the hosting country. In particular, the Republic of Korea has created the “Korea Biosafety Capacity Building Initiative” for the implementation of the Protocol and capacity building, and the initiative has been adopted by the agreement of the Parties. I am looking forward to the cooperation between Korea and all Parties for the achievement of the initiative.”

Braulio Dias, United Nations Assistant-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, said of the meeting: “I congratulate the Parties on their hard work, and their spirit of compromise that they demonstrated this week. Their work has advanced the implementation of the Cartagena Protocol, and in so doing, not only ensures  biosafety, but also contributes to the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and its important role in the global agenda for sustainable development.”

The meeting was the first of a series of three meetings of the Convention on Biological Diversity scheduled to take place in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea. The 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity opens on Monday 6 October 2014.

Notes: 

1. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Its objective is to contribute to ensuring the safe transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms that may have adverse effects on conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health. 

2. The Protocol was adopted on 29 January 2000 in Montreal, Canada and entered into force on 11 September 2003. To date, 167 countries and the European Union have ratified or acceded to it. 

3. The Protocol is named after the Colombian city of Cartagena where the final round of its negotiations was launched.

Fiji calls for more support at Biosafety meeting

6 October 2012, CBD COP 11, Hyderabd, India - The Pacific region has engaged in the course of international meetings to help save World biodiversity with the curtain raiser event in Hyderabad, India; the sixth Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity  which serves as the Meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biodiversity.

The first days of discussion focused on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety which was adopted in January 2000 and entered into force in 2003, to address the safe transfer, handling and use of Living Modified Organisms that may have adverse effects on biodiversity taking into account human health, with a special focus on transboundary movements.

For Fiji, the key concerns raised at this meeting are; building the capacity of the Pacific to strengthen their work in bio-security and; additional financing opportunities outside of the Global Environment Facility.

Mrs. Taina Tagicakibau, the Permanent Secretary for the Fiji Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment at the MoP6.  Photo courtesy of ENB.

“For us it is about knowing more and learning about the latest happenings in the area of biotechnology as it can have its benefits, especially in the agricultural output,’ said Mrs. Taina Tagicakibau, the Permanent Secretary for the Fiji Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment.

“We need to manage how we proceed with this phase as there will need to be careful monitoring so any living modified organisms that enter Fiji does not pose a threat to the health of our Fiji community, or to our environment.  For this we need to build our capacity, it is a new subject for us.”

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety includes an advance informed agreement procedure for the imports of living modified organisms for intentional introduction into the environment.  It also incorporates the precautionary approach and mechanisms for risk assessment and risk management.

The Protocal established the Biosafety Clearing House to help facilitate the exchange of information and contains provisions on capacity building and financial resources, with special attention to developing countries and those without national regulatory systems.

The MoP-6 adopted 18 key decisions unanimously and called for giving utmost importance to the concerns and wishes of the indigenous and local people before a country decides on new genetically modified crops.

According to the Asian Age, all parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety accepted the need to conduct research on the socioeconomic impact of living modified organisms to fill the knowledge gaps and identify specific socioeconomic issues, including those with positive impacts.

“We hope the funds will come forward to help with building national capacity and would like the Global Environment Facility to consider allocating specific funds for Bio-security and Bio-safety alone, as they do for the Climate Change issue,” said Mrs. Tagicakibau.

“If managed properly and with responsible progress, this could have a positive impact on food production and poverty.  We should not fear this, if properly tested and if it undergoes proper regimes, this could help avoid world starvation and poverty, but it needs to be conducted properly, and for that we need funds, resources and support to build our capacity, both nationally and for that of our regional organisations which help support our work.”

Budgetary provisions to support member countries to implement the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety were a key issue.  It was estimated that a core budget of $5,102 million is needed, apart from voluntary contributions and trust funds.

The conference agreed to appoint an ad hoc technical group that will go into the issues related to socioeconomic considerations of different countries and regions. The group consists of eight members from each of the five regions within the Meeting of the Parties.

There are 164 parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, for which nine are Pacific Island Countries – Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga are Pacific parties to the Protocol.  

India and Thailand have been endorsed as the members on the Compliance to Biosafety Committee by the Asia Pacific region, on the understanding that they will serve a one term of two years, whereby they will step down at the next Meeting of the Parties in two years time; and Fiji and Korea will then be considered for this committee.

The Sixth Meeting of the Parties was held from 1 to 5 October.

Meeting the Pacific delegates at CBD COP 11

5 October, 2012, CBD COP 11, Hyderabad, India - Mr. Siosiua Latu, delegate from Tonga with Mrs. Taina Tagicikibau, the Permanent Secretary for the Fiji Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment.  Mr. Latu of Tonga is attending his very first international biodiversity conference, having attended the 6^th Meeting of the Parties to the Cartegena Protocol on Biosafety.

“I think for myself it’s a good experience, it is the first time for me to attend a high level meeting like the MoP 6 it is a good experience to listen and to learn from the other delegates.”